West Shows Off 'Diamonds' With Jay-Z

Rapper/producer Kanye West earlier this week offered the first taste of his sophomore Def Jam album, "Late Registration," when he played the single "Diamonds" on New York radio station Hot 97. Def Jam

Rapper/producer Kanye West earlier this week offered the first taste of his sophomore Def Jam album, "Late Registration," when he played the single "Diamonds" on New York radio station Hot 97. Def Jam president Jay-Z was on hand for the debut of the track, which West said references his experiences working with Roc-A-Fella Records in recent years.

Although a track list has yet to be unveiled for "Late Registration," which will arrive July 12, West has previously revealed that John Legend and John Mayer both make guest appearances.

Rapper Common told Billboard.com last month that he expected to appear on the album before all was said and done. As previously reported, West produced Common's upcoming album, "Be," and will release it May 24 via his G.O.O.D. Music imprint in tandem with Geffen.

"A lot of the tracks I wasn't using turned into beats for 'Late Registration,'" Common said. "His album is sounding very, very good. I am planning on being on it. He has some songs in mind, so we'll complete something."

"Late Registration" will be the follow-up to West's 2004 breakthrough, "The College Dropout," which peaked at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 2.6 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

West has also become one of the most in-demand producers in urban music, having worked with Usher, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys and the Game in the past several years.